Cleaning Your Horse Tack for Riding Season

Winter can be long in the Midwest. It can also be less than ideal for riding horses. It’s most horse owners’ least-favorite time of the year. However, it can be a great time to gear up for horse riding season. One thing that can help you and your horse hit the ground galloping in the Spring is by taking the time to prepare and clean your horse tack during the winter.

The weather may be less than ideal for riding your horse, but you can still get ready for the good weather to come! Bring your horse tack in from the barn so you can clean and prep it in the warmth of your home. Brew some tea or coffee, binge horse movies or your favorite TV show. Make a whole day out of it!

Horse tack is the equipment used for horseback riding, like saddles, bridles, hackamores and martingales. All of your horse tack needs to be kept clean so it will be ready for regular use during riding season.

Clean your tack frequently, as it can pick up a lot of dirt, sweat, hair, and horse slobber. Dirty horse tack can cause your horse discomfort, or even harm since it can be more abrasive than clean horse tack. Letting your tack get dirty can also cause it to wear out more quickly.

The Best Way To Clean Horse Tack

You may be wondering “what’s the best way to clean my horse tack?” The best way to clean leather horse tack is simply to use saddle soap and water. Mix your saddle soap with some warm water and scrub the leather with a soft, clean cloth or sponge. After scrubbing, rinse your horse tack in cold water and let it air dry before you put it away.

Leather, metal, and plastic horse tack can sometimes be challenging to clean, but here are some steps to make cleaning your horse tack easier:

What you need to clean your horse tack

• Bucket
• Sponges and cloths
• Saddle soap
• Leather conditioner
• Brushes (An old toothbrush works as well)
• Cotton swabs
• Water
• Warm Mink oil (optional – use this if your tack is very dry).
• Metal or Silver polish (optional – use this to polish any metal buckles on your tack)

Once you have everything gathered up, you’re ready to start cleaning your horse tack!

How to clean horse tack step-by-step

1. Remove saddle accessories and buckles to clean separately. (Just make sure to mark which hole the buckles went in to ensure proper fit after cleaning).
2. Wipe down your saddle and accessories with a wet rag to remove the dried dirt, sweat, and the looser particles.
3. Apply a thin layer of saddle soap (the dirtier the saddle, the more saddle soap you should use). Use the cotton swabs and cleaning brushes or toothbrush to get in tight crevices and corners. Be sure to clean under flaps and cover every bit of the leather.
4. Rinse thoroughly. 
5. Allow to fully air dry.
6. Apply leather conditioner, following the instructions on the product’s label.
7. For dry leather, apply some warm mink oil or leather balm on the underside of the saddle before storing or using.

Preparing your horse tack now will pay off later

If you clean your tack during the winter months, you can be ready to ride when things warm up. This will help you maximize your riding time during the horse riding season. Your horse will be grateful for the clean, comfy tack, and you will be happy to be back in the saddle for another season of memories with your best friend!

For all of your horse care and tack needs, visit horsesbff.com by Blain’s Farm & Fleet where you can browse our huge selection of tack! For more articles like this one, visit our Horses blog!